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Research on women and representation has argued that women who serve
in “skewed” legislatures—that is, legislatures in which
women make up less than 15% of the membership—avoid addressing
women's interests and are marginalized by other legislators. I argue
that women in such legislatures may actually be encouraged to develop
legislative agendas that are distinct from those of their male colleagues,
and that they may be as successful as their male counterparts. Analyzing
data from three state legislatures in four years, I find that even in
extremely skewed state legislatures, women are generally more active than
men in sponsoring legislation that focuses on women's interests;
indeed, in two of the three states, gender differences narrow as the
legislature becomes more gender balanced. Second, I find that women are
generally as successful as men in passing the legislation that they
sponsor, and that in very homogeneous settings, they are sometimes more
successful than men. Moreover, little evidence exists that they are less
likely to be appointed to leadership positions. Finally, I find that
increasing gender diversity within a legislature is accompanied by a
greater overall focus on women's issues. I conclude that a
“critical mass” is not necessary for substantive
representation on the part of individual female state legislators, but
that increased diversity may indeed bring about changes in policy outputs
that reflect the interests of women.

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